On Sun, Nov 25, 2012 at 11:09:27AM -0500, Philip wrote:
> I once read that abolitionists who helped run escaped slaves from the
> south to Canada had a similar problem. Most of those caught were
> betrayed by other southern slaves. It was believed that their thinking
> was not "Why am I not free", but "Why is he not in chains".
One of the more powerful social metaphors that I carry around in my
head, and see quite a bit of in society, is what I call "the crab
bucket." Most folks living around the Chesapeake Bay, where I learned
it, will recognize this one: if you catch one crab and put him in a
bucket, you'll need a lid to keep him from crawling out - but once
you've got two or more, you don't need the lid. As soon as one of them
starts crawling out, the other one will grab him and pull him back in.
I suspect there's some equivalent of phrases like "Uncle Tommin'" and
"just who do you think you are to climb higher than the rest of us" in
crab language being tossed around in there...
Ben
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